App Ed Review Roundup for August 2015: Test Prep Apps

It's Never Too Early to Start Preparing for Critical Standardized Tests

Standardized tests can be as scary as just the letters ACT, SAT, and AP and these tests can send shivers down students’ spines! Confidence for students going into such important tests is crucial, and confidence is built through practice. The earlier students get to practicing, the more confidence they can build. The waning days of summer are a great time to begin to get geared up for school and the important tests students will face throughout the year. Our experts at App Ed Review have curated four of our favorite test prep apps to help students get the best of standardized tests!

If you like what you see, be sure to check out our website with over 500 apps – covering literacy, math, science, social studies, and more – and each app is reviewed using our detailed process. Every app review includes an original app description, a comprehensive evaluation, and 3-5 instructional ideas explaining how to use the app in your classroom.

Play2Prep: ACT, SAT + PSAT Prep helps students prepare for ACT, SAT, and PSAT standardized tests through a diagnostic assessment and a customized learning plan. First, users register and complete the diagnostic step. An in-depth report is then created from the diagnostic data and Play2Prep customizes a daily test prep plan that includes practice exercises. Furthermore, students can take practice tests and view their progress on tests and the overall leaderboard. Designed to prepare students for not one but three of the most important tests students will take in their academic career, Play2Prep scored strongly in all areas of our comprehensive rubric.

Gojimo offers practice tests for high school AP classes and SAT/ACT tests. First, the student selects the assessment he or she is interested in preparing for and Gojimo downloads a practice test to the user’s tablet. Students then begin to answer questions from the test, and what makes Gojimo great is that after every answer a student submits –wrong or right—the app gives a detailed explanation of the correct answer. After each test, a final score is tallied and students can share their progress on social media, review the test they just took, or move on to a new test. Students can personalize everything from timer settings to the amount of questions on each test. Scoring a 7.7 out of 10 overall, Gojimo has a ton to offer. Check out the full review here.

SAT Question of the Day is just that, a SAT question that is delivered to you each day of the week! Students are able to read, engage, and respond to the question, and the app gives students feedback about their response. Seems like one-dimensional app, right? Wrong! Teachers from all content areas can do so much with this app. They can use the questions to launch a bellringer activity or they can pair the questions to the topic they are teaching. If teachers do not like the question of the day, they can scroll back through past questions of the day to find one they wish to use. The strength of this app is its rigor and that it does not overwhelm students with an abundance of questions at one time, just one question per day. For more ideas that explain how to use this app, click here.

As we know, not all students go straight to college or begin their careers. Some students join the military, which means they must take the ASVAB. In the app world, that is not a problem because students can prepare with the ASVAB Test Prep This app provides practice test questions and assessments for students who may be interested in enlisting in the military. Although it is similar to other test prep apps, this app was selected because it represents a test that offers another life option for students. To read more about it and consider how it can be used in your classroom, click here.

That’s all for this month’s Roundup and remember, “Don’t let a standardized test drive your teaching, but consider how you can integrate those skills into your instruction.” If you would like more information about any of the apps mentioned here or that are on the App Ed Review website, please contact us at info@appedreview.org.

Alex Fegely is a Social Studies teacher at The Academy for the Arts, Science, and Technology, a STEM school in Myrtle Beach. In addition, Alex is an adjunct instructor at Portland State University. Previously, he has taught English and Digital Media. Alex believes that technology is an invaluable classroom tool for differentiating instruction and engaging learners.
Todd Cherner is an assistant professor of education at Coastal Carolina University. Previous to becoming a professor, Todd was a high school English and Journalism teacher at Leesburg High School, where he also coached bowling. Professionally, Todd believes technology's presence in education is going to continue to increase, and he wants to support teachers with quality resources for using technology effectively in the classroom.

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You can also checkout Test Me! A truly universal test prep app. At the moment it includes a lot SAT, ACT and TOEFL tests created by Mindspire Tutoring and tutoring videos from Khan Academy but more will come in the future. Many more features are included in the app.